Skip to main content
Normal View

Disease Management

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2013

Tuesday, 22 October 2013

Questions (560, 561)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

560. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he is confident in the testing procedures for Lyme disease here in view of the fact that many of the cases that tested negative here tested positive when carried out in Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44587/13]

View answer

Billy Kelleher

Question:

561. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the treatments and assistance available to Lyme disease patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44588/13]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 560 and 561 together.

Since September 2011, Lyme Disease has been a notifiable disease under the Infectious Diseases Regulations. The standard approach to the treatment of Lyme Disease is to follow the guidance laid out in the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines on the clinical assessment, treatment and prevention of Lyme Disease. This is accepted as being the most up to date synthesis of best available evidence on the clinical management of Lyme Disease and treatment of Lyme Disease is based upon this guidance.

The acute tertiary hospitals in Ireland have the diagnostic and treatment facilities and personnel for the management of Lyme Disease. In addition, a network of infectious disease specialists is available in all the major centres to provide consultative, expert advice in the management of Lyme borreliosis. I have been advised by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre that there were eight cases of Lyme Neuroborreliosis notified in 2012. Lyme Neuroborreliosis is at the more severe end of the spectrum of Lyme borreliosis and as such it is possible that there may be more people with the milder form of the disease. Given the numbers of cases of Lyme borreliosis in Ireland, I am confident that the facilities available for the diagnosis and treatment of the condition are commensurate with the burden which the disease imposes.

The diagnosis of a case of Lyme Disease can be difficult. The standard approach to Lyme diagnostics is a two-stage approach and involves using a sensitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) as an initial screening step. However, screening EIA's can be insufficiently specific and can give other false-positive reactions in the presence of various other infections from syphilis to glandular fever. In addition, sera from patients with autoimmune disorders and other inflammatory conditions can also lead to false-positive results. Samples giving reactive or equivocal results in screening tests are further investigated in a second stage immunoblot test. The use of immunoblot testing greatly increases specificity. Using this two stage approach gives a greater degree of certainty around the diagnosis of Lyme Disease.

Top
Share